I would like to introduce you our simple open-source tool (currently Windows only) named Blender Render Controller. It allows you to render VSE projects more than 3x faster on a quad-core (8 logical processors) PC and even faster on more cores processor! :eek:
It is a simple one-click app but can be customized too.
It basically reads your .blend project settings and renders it in parts by multiple simultaneous Blender processes so it utilizes the processor at 100%.
When all the parts are rendered, it joins everything together (with FFmpeg) and you get your final video.
I would like you to test it out and let me know if you find any bugs (they are expected as it is the first public release). If you find some issues with the rendered video, please make sure Blender can render it correctly itself.
Also, I would like to know whether you find it useful at all so we know if it is worth to add features to it.
Project homepage (GitHub):
The app is forked from programmers lsti115, meTwentyFive and redRaptor93.
That sounds promising. I was always wondering why simple image sequence takes VSE generate movie file 5x longer time than any other app.
BTW, try render time with hidden rendering progress window that will be more comparable. In your video you render with “Render Result” displayed that is much slower. Set “Keep UI” in render properties panel. This discover was big time saver for me.
Any plans for Mac users? Would like to be on a board
The tool can be used for rendering an image sequence too, it just can’t join it to a video yet.
i think we will wait to see if there is enough interest in our tool so it is worth to invest extra time for extra things like the multiplatformness.
Anyway, Mikeycal Meyers (that makes nice VSE tutorials on Youtube) works on a python script with similar functionality so it should work on a Mac too.
What do you mean “The tool can be used for rendering an image sequence too”?
Since the tool can’t render video, only images, is there anything else what can be rendered?
Thank you for Mikeycal’s work.
Did you have a chance to compare render time of blender without any window that display render progress?
The tool will render a project to whatever format you set in Blender render options. So if you set it to .mp4 / h264, you will get this format. If you set it to .png, you will get an image sequence.
Thanks for the tip with rendering without Render Result - will try that
Seems like misunderstanding. I had no worries your tool can’t render image sequence previously
But when you “highlighted” it with a note “it can’t join it to a video yet”. I felt in an impression your tool can’t render a video file.
Later on I recognised you speak about scenario where render output from VSE is an image sequence that can’t be converted (join) into video file via your tool.
In my first post I spoke about rendering animation into video file from image sequence placed in VSE strip
OK, leave it I don’t want to clutter your thread. I just wanted to say that even simple image sequence in VSE as strip takes 5x more time to render video file compare to Apple Motion5 for example for the same task. Some difference can be codec and compression that I’m not sure if I set comparable, but anyway difference time was noticeable.
Seems like a good idea, it is a shame that it is windows only.
It would be nice to use as an external segment renderer.
E.g. I am working on a sequence but want to see what some effects look like bu they wont play in real time. I could designate a selection or range to be rendered externally via your tool. I continue to work on sequence while your tool renders in the background. The completed render pops back into timeline above source media, it plays in realtime.
When I want to render whole timeline this part is already done, or I delete it and change the effect underneath.
We are happy you find it useful!
For other users - please be aware it does not work on Windows 7 at this moment but we are trying to fix it, so be patient please.
When i use it on “auto” settings it renders all the chunks except the last one, and the program then hangs.
On manual i get some results.
When i change chunk size and processes number, it seems to work ok.
Unfortunately it erases all chunks when i was trying to re render the failed chunk.
Worked very well with vse files done in Blender 2.8, however on some computers it works on some don’t (didn’t want to render on my AMD fx8370 cpu, even not working with files done in 2.79). Maybe its cpu or it can be folder arrangement, hope somebody will find an solution.
Update: doesnt matter the cpus, just there should blender 2.79 nightly build to work with this tool and blender 2.8 files